Real Madrid Faces Inter Milan in Champions League Without Lunin

Real Madrid will open its 2026–27 Champions League campaign against Inter Milan without Andriy Lunin, as the Ukrainian goalkeeper misses out through illness.

José Mourinho has named three goalkeepers in his squad for the group-stage clash, but Lunin is not among them. Thibaut Courtois will start, with Spaniards Sergio Mestre and Javi Navarro travelling as his understudies.

Lunin was absent from first-team training the day before the squad announcement and has been placed on the club’s injured list. He is sidelined with the flu, and the timeline for his return to Mourinho’s matchday squads remains unclear.

The situation leaves Real Madrid relying entirely on Courtois and two untested backups. Neither Mestre nor Navarro has played this season, while Lunin’s last campaign underlined his mixed fortunes: 12 matches, 21 goals conceded, and just one clean sheet.

For now, the Ukrainian international watches from a distance as Madrid chase another European run, waiting for the all-clear to fight for his place again.